Descent
by debjunk
Summary: Young Severus Snape loves his father, but in a few short years, he'll despise him. What happened to change things so severely?


A/N:_ This was written for the 2020 Snapecase fest. It deals with mature themes including emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and mild physical abuse._

_Thanks to my beta brenamarie. You're awesome._

Chapter 1

Eileen turned the bangers over in the pan as she watched the mushrooms magically sautéing themselves in a second pan.

"Tobias!" she called out. "Can you check on Severus?"

"I've got him," he yelled from upstairs.

Tobias moved from their bedroom to Severus' and paused in the doorway to gaze at his son. The four-year-old boy lay on his back in his small bed, his arms flung above his head. His stringy hair was fanning over his face as small snores escaped from his slightly open mouth. Tobias smiled as he gazed on the little boy.

He moved into the room and leaned over the bed. "Hey, little guy, time to get up."

Severus scrunched up his face and turned away from his father. Tobias smirked. His hand reached out and he took Severus' shoulder and gently nudged him.

"Severus, wake up."

The boy grunted but didn't move.

Tobias arched an eyebrow at his boy. "Severus, wake up, or I'll be forced to do something you won't like."

Severus waved his arm at his dad and then tucked it under his body, continuing to sleep.

Tobias shook his head as his hand reached out to Severus. In an instant, he was tickling the boy behind his leg. Severus stiffened before bursting into laughter.

"No, no, no!" Severus cried.

"Are you awake, son?" Tobias asked while he continued his onslaught, his hands flying over the young boy's body, tickling him mercilessly.

"Yes, Daddy, stop!" he cried between giggles.

Severus curled into a ball, trying to protect all his body parts, but he was unsuccessful.

"Stop!" he cried again.

Tobias pulled his hand away finally. Severus stopped giggling uncontrollably and straightened out. He turned to his father, a severe frown on his face.

"Daddy, you mean!"

"Yes, I'm the worst," Tobias said in a bored tone. "Your mummy has breakfast waiting for us."

The boy forgot his anger. "Are there 'matoes?"

"Of course," Tobias answered.

"Yay! My favewit!" Severus yelled as he jumped out of bed. He ran out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs.

Tobias shook his head as he chuckled. He quickly made his way downstairs after his eager son.

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Severus barreled down the stairs and ran into the kitchen.

"Mum, Mum, Daddy said there was 'matoes!"

Eileen looked up from the eggs she was cooking and smiled at Severus. She put her spatula down and stooped low so Severus could run into her arms. She hugged him and picked him up, spinning him around.

"Good morning, son," she said as she placed him on the ground again. "Have a seat at the table. I'll have your plate fixed in a minute."

Severus pulled himself up onto the seat and folded his hands in his lap as his mother had taught him to do. He watched his mum as she put food onto his plate. His eyes moved to his daddy as he moved into the room and sat in the chair next to him. He leaned in closer to Severus.

"What say we go into town later and visit the toy shop?" he asked Severus.

Excitement bubbled up in Severus. Daddy always did fun things with him when he was home. Severus smiled and nodded.

"Can we go see the fishies at the pet store, too?" Severus asked excitedly.

Tobias sat back and folded his arms, looking at his son. He stroked his chin for a minute before looking back at Severus.

"I think we'll have time to do that, don't you think, Eileen?"

Eileen set their plates before them and quickly got hers. She settled in across from Tobias and smiled at him.

"I think we should, Tobias," she said.

"Yay, Towbise!" Severus said enthusiastically.

Tobias glared at Severus severely. "Now, son, we've told you to respect us and call us Mummy and Daddy."

Severus shrunk into himself and put his head down.

"Sowwy, Daddy," he said.

"Eat your breakfast," Tobias said gruffly.

"Now Tobias, he's just a boy. Don't be so hard on him."

Tobias looked to Eileen. "He needs to be respectful, Eileen."

"I know, but you don't need to grouse at him like that."

"My father was adamant that we give mum and him respect. That's all I ask of little Severus."

Severus kept his head down; afraid he'd made his daddy angry.

Eileen tsk'd at Tobias. "You're right, of course," she said as she looked to her plate and started eating her food.

They all ate silently, all frowning as they ate. Tobias cleared his throat, which caused Severus to look at him apprehensively.

"I hear the pet shop got in some new puppies yesterday. We may want to see them along with the fish," he said.

Severus' eyes grew wide. "Puppies? Are there black ones?"

Tobias looked over at Severus and smirked. "We'll have to see, won't we? And you can count all of them once you've counted the fish."

"And the turtles?" Severus asked as his voice got more and more excited.

"Mmhmm, the turtles will definitely need to be counted."

"What about the birds?" Eileen asked.

"Oh!" Severus exclaimed. "I forgot about them! Can we feed them, too, Daddy?"

"We'll see if Joanne is there. If she is, she's sure to let us."

"Yay!" Severus said as he bobbed up and down in his chair.

Eileen looked over at him, trying to hide her smile. "Eat your breakfast, Severus, or we'll never get there."

"Yes, Mummy," he said as he grabbed his fork and began shoveling food into his mouth.

"Easy there, lad," Tobias cautioned, "or you'll choke."

Severus sat in bed, waiting for his mummy and daddy to tuck him in. This had been a great day. He had gotten to run around the pet store looking at all the pets. He'd counted thirty-five fish, twelve birds, seven turtles, and eight dogs. Three of the dogs had been black, and the one with the floppy ear had licked his face for what seemed like forever.

He'd gotten to pet every dog, but that floppy-eared black dog had not left him alone for a minute. Oh, how fun it would be to have that dog in his house. He'd sleep with it and play ball with it. The dog and he would be best friends.

Daddy entered the room then, closely followed by mummy. He smiled at both of them.

"Please, can we read a stowy?" he asked.

Tobias chuckled. "Sure, son."

Eileen flicked her wand and a book came sailing into Tobias' hands. "Babbitty Rabbitty?" Tobias asked as he moved the book left and right in front of Severus.

Severus nodded emphatically and settled in for a good read. Eileen and Tobias sat on either side of him on the bed. He hugged each of them and gave them kisses, then laid down on his pillow. He listened to his daddy read the story about the Animagus witch who could turn into a rabbit. His daddy's voice was deep, and he read the story changing his voice to match the characters. Before he knew it, Severus had drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2

Tobias came into their home and slammed the door. Eileen looked up from the table where Severus and she were learning letters. Tobias stomped in and banged his lunch pail on the counter before turning to them.

"Severus, go to your room, I need to talk to your mother," he said sternly.

Severus rose from the table. "Yes, Daddy."

Severus scurried out of the room, but instead of going up the stairs, he hid against the wall so he could hear what mummy and daddy needed to talk about.

"Eileen," Tobias said. "They fired me!"

Eileen gasped. "Tobias, no! What are we going to do? How are we going to pay our bills? We're just getting by as it is."

"I know, I know," said Tobias

It was silent for a while before Eileen sighed. "It'll be all right. You'll find work elsewhere."

Severus heard a bang on the table. "Eileen, nowhere else pays like the mill! I'll have to work two or three jobs to bring home the same pay."

"I'll get a job too," Eileen said.

"And what will Severus do? Wander the streets? We have no money to have a sitter. You can't go to work, Eileen."

"Well, we'll figure something out."

There was silence for a while, and Severus fidgeted as he waited for them to say something else.

"You could fix this," Tobias said.

"What do you mean?"

"Use your magic. Change my boss's mind. Make him hire me back!"

"Tobias," Eileen said with a gasp. "You don't know what you're asking. That kind of magic… it's against our laws."

Severus heard a tone in his father's voice then that he'd never heard before. His daddy sounded scared.

"Eileen, you have to do it. We need that job. Besides, who will know? No one comes around here looking for you. You can save our family."

"I can't, Tobias… I just can't. We'll have to figure out something else."

Severus heard the scraping of a seat and he knew his daddy had stood up.

"I thought you loved me," Tobias said bitterly.

"Of course I love you! I just… I can't do what you're asking of me."

"You would let our family suffer?" Tobias shouted. "Let us go hungry because you're too proud to help. Your precious magic is too pure, too beautiful for you to taint it by doing something that may be frowned upon but will save us?"

"Tobias, it's not just frowned upon; it's illegal. I could be thrown into Azkaban!"

"How would they find out?" he shouted.

"I don't know!" she shouted back. "I just know that that kind of magic is dark, and I don't want to taint our home or our lives with it!"

Severus started to move back and forth from one foot to the other. He was getting frightened. Mummy and Daddy had argued before, but they'd never shouted at each other like this. He almost wanted to run in and tell them to stop, but he knew Daddy would be very upset if he did.

"You won't do this for us?" Tobias asked in an accusatory tone.

"I'm sorry; I can't."

Severus could tell his mum was crying.

"Then you're nothing to me, woman."

Severus heard his daddy's footsteps and he ran and crouched behind the couch. He held his breath as he heard his daddy's footsteps walk across the room. The door opened and slammed violently, shaking the walls. Severus peeked out from behind the couch and saw that his daddy had left. He heard sobs from the kitchen and ran to his mother's side.

"Mummy?" he called to her as he put his little arms around her neck. "It'll be okay, Mummy. Daddy is just mad. He'll be happy again when he comes back."

He felt his mother's arms around him, her head burrowed next to his. She sobbed and held him for a long time.

Tobias returned at dinnertime. He smiled and hugged Severus, but Severus could tell he was sad. He glowered at mummy, too, which made Severus sad as well. Dinner was a silent event. Severus ate quickly and looked to his father.

"May I be excused?" he asked.

Tobias nodded. Severus picked up his plate, placed it into the sink, and ran up to his room. He closed the door and sat on his bed, staring at the wall. A while later there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," Severus said.

Tobias entered. "Your mum has a headache. She said to tell you goodnight. What story should we read tonight?"

Severus shrugged and kept his eyes lowered.

"Severus, I need to tell you something, son."

Tobias sat on the small bed next to Severus, his legs hanging off the side and feet still on the floor. He put his arm around him, drawing him close to him in a hug.

"Daddy needs to find another job. I don't want you to worry, everything will be okay. I just might not be able to play with you as much as I have been because I'll be looking for a job. Do you understand?"

Severus nodded his head.

"It'll be all right, Severus."

They stayed there for a long time. There was no story that night, just his daddy's arms around him. Severus slowly drifted off to sleep as he hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.

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Severus felt himself being lifted from his bed.

"C'mon you, time to get up!" he heard his daddy saying to him.

"Mmm no!" Severus complained.

"Let's go, son. Breakfast is ready."

"Sleepy," Severus mumbled.

"You need to eat now, or you get nothing," his father told him.

Severus cracked an eye open at him. "Cawwy me?"

Tobias huffed but grinned. "Fine, you lazy lout."

Severus' body was turned and tucked under his father's arm like a football. Daddy carried him down the stairs and deposited him into his seat at the table.

"Morning, Mummy," he said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning, Severus."

His parents eyed each other from across the table before turning to the plates that Eileen had set before everyone. It was another silent meal. Severus thought he caught Daddy glaring at Mummy a couple of times. He wished Daddy would be happy with Mummy again.

Tobias ate quickly and turned to Severus. "I'll see you later, son," he said and kissed his forehead. He got up and left the house without a word to Mummy.

Severus glanced at his mum and noticed her quickly wiping a tear from her eye. He pretended he didn't see.

He was sure to be extra good during the day. He helped his mum do chores and didn't fool around when they were practicing their letters and words. The day seemed to drag on until finally the door opened and his daddy was home again. His mummy looked up at him as he came in.

"Any luck?"

"The butcher said he could give me work delivering, but it's not steady."

Eileen smiled at him. "Well, that's good."

Tobias sneered at her but said nothing.

Eileen flicked her wand to set the table for dinner, and Tobias growled.

"If you can't help me with your magic, don't use it here!" he yelled. "Put your wand away. If I have to struggle with a job, you can struggle and do things like us Muggles!"

"Tobias!" Eileen exclaimed. "Please!"

Tobias stalked up to Eileen, his nose almost touching hers. "I said no magic! I'll not have any more of that unnatural business in our home, do you understand me? If you can't help me with it, I'll have none of it. Either stop using it or get out of my house. Severus and I will be fine without the likes of you around here."

Eileen sobbed and ran from the room. Tobias' fists clenched at his sides and he stared after her for a while before shaking himself. He went to the cabinet and got out two bowls. He scooped the stew Eileen had made into them and placed one down before Severus. He took his seat and looked at his son.

"Eat up," he said grumpily.

"Yes, sir." Severus grabbed his spoon and took two bites. He placed his spoon back down next to his bowl and looked at his father.

"I'm not hungwy Daddy, can I be excused?"

"May I," Tobias corrected.

"May I be excused?"

Tobias scowled at his stew before looking back to his son. He reached out and ruffled Severus' long hair.

"Go ahead, Severus. You can go outside if you want, but stay on the front stoop, yeah?"

"Yes, Daddy," Severus said as he escaped from the kitchen.

He went outside, but instead of playing, he sat on the stoop, his elbows on his legs, with his chin resting on them and a frown on his face. That night, only Eileen came in to read him a story.

Chapter 3

Several weeks had gone by, and not much had changed. Tobias ignored his wife and showered his son with affection. Eileen and he, when they did speak, either addressed each other with one-word sentences or yelled at each other. The smile that was readily on Tobias' face had all but disappeared unless he was talking to Severus directly. Each night one or the other parent would come in to read and tuck him in. He missed having both of them do it, but he never complained. If he did, he knew Daddy would be grumpy or Mummy would cry.

When Tobias came home that evening, Severus could tell he was in a bad mood. The door had slammed, making him jump. He'd been told to leave the room again, and he was now hiding against the wall so he could hear them.

"He said he doesn't need a delivery man anymore. No one is ordering delivery." There was a snarl in Tobias' tone that made Severus shiver.

"I'm sorry, Tobias."

Tobias huffed. "If you were truly sorry, you'd do something about it."

"Tobias…"

"You're worthless, do you know that?" Tobias said.

"Tobias, surely…" Eileen cried.

"Get your hands off me! I never want you to touch me again, you're nothing but a traitorous wench."

"Tobias, please, you haven't spoken to me in weeks. Can't we get over this?"

Severus heard a smack and his mummy gasped. Anger filled Severus as he realized his daddy had just hit his mummy. He was about to run in when he felt a tingling in his body. All of a sudden, the bookshelf began to shake and an entire shelf of books tumbled to the ground. Severus stood there, frozen, not knowing what happened.

Eileen and Tobias rushed into the sitting room. Eileen gasped as Tobias stared at the books strewn across the floor and then looked to his son.

"Did you do this?" he growled.

Severus shook his head furiously. "No! I didn't even touch them!" he cried.

Tobias' face filled with fury. "Did you use magic?" he snarled. "Are you just like your worthless mother?"

Eileen jumped in. "No, Tobias. It's not magic."

"I didn't do anything!" Severus cried.

Eileen's hands were on Severus' shoulder. She looked at him intensely before speaking. "You were climbing up to get a book off that shelf, weren't you?" she said as she continued to give him that same intense stare.

Severus didn't know why his mummy was looking at him like she was, but he thought it meant that he should agree with her story. He nodded his head and looked to the ground. Eileen turned and looked at Tobias.

"See, he was just being curious."

Tobias physically calmed down. He looked to his son.

"Severus, we've told you not to climb on things. I thought you'd gotten over that."

"Sowwy, Daddy," Severus said, not looking up.

"Go to your room, Severus. No story tonight. Tuck yourself in and go to sleep."

"Yes, sir," Severus said morosely. He shook his mother's hands off his shoulders and ran up the stairs and up to his room. He slammed the door behind him and threw himself onto his bed, fat tears dripping down his face.

"I didn't even do anything!" he cried as he buried his head in his pillow.

He cried himself to sleep that night and didn't know both his parents had gone in at different times to rub his back and kiss his head.

The next night Tobias came home and flung a small stack of bills onto the table.

"The bar hired me. It's night shift, but they needed me this afternoon. I have to go back in an hour. My shift goes until three in the morning." He turned without another word and marched upstairs, took a shower, and left again. Eileen and Severus ate dinner by themselves.

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The following week, Tobias stumbled into the house; a bottle half full of vodka in his hand. He took a swig from it and threw himself onto the couch.

"Eileen, bring my dinner out here!" he bellowed.

Severus ran out of the kitchen and jumped into Tobias' lap.

"Daddy!"

Tobias smiled for the first time in several days. "Hey little man!" he said with slurred speech. "How're yeh doin'?"

"I read a bunch of words today!"

Tobias ruffled his hair. "That's my boy."

Tobias slouched into the couch. Eileen brought a plate to him and held it out. He placed his bottle on the couch next to him, and it immediately fell over. He didn't bother to right it, and the small amount of liquor spilled onto the couch.

"Whoops," he said as he took his plate. He eyed Eileen as he moved the plate close to his face.

"You didn't use magic to make this, did you?"

"Of course not," Eileen huffed before turning and moving back into the kitchen.

"Come and eat, Severus," she said over her shoulder as she retreated from the sitting room.

The next day, when Tobias finally emerged from the bedroom, he came down to the kitchen where Eileen and Severus were shelling peas. He looked over at Eileen. "Sorry I drank too much," he said to her.

Eileen gave a quick nod.

"They let me take what I want at the bar after my shift. It's easy to get carried away."

Eileen opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

Tobias looked at her for a while before speaking again.

"I heard they're looking for work at the mill. I'm going to see if I can get my job back."

He stood there for a minute before turning and leaving the room.

"Bye, Daddy," Severus said, hoping his father would come back and give him a hug. He was sorely disappointed when all he got was two words as his father disappeared out of the house.

"Bye, son."

His father didn't return that day. In fact, he didn't return until the next morning. He stumbled into the house as Eileen was setting a bowl of cereal in front of Severus. She turned and looked at Tobias, her mouth forming a straight line.

"You didn't come home last night," she said simply.

"Mill wasn't hiring. At least they weren't hiring me. I wandered around town until it was time for my shift at the bar. Then I wandered around some more when I was done."

"You wandered around town at three in the morning?"

Tobias sneered. "Yes, that's what I did. I didn't know I had to report to you every time I took in a breath."

"Tobias…"

"Just shut up," Tobias said. "Shut your mouth and don't say a thing. I don't need a guilt trip from a bitter witch like you."

Severus' eyes were wide as he listened to his father speak to his mum so nastily.

Tobias continued. "If you were so curious as to where I was, why didn't you just pull out a crystal ball?"

Eileen frowned. "Because you've forbidden me to use magic."

Tobias waved dismissively at her. "Shut up," he said as he turned and made his way up the stairs and to bed.

"Mummy," Severus said.

Eileen turned to him.

"Why is Daddy angry all the time?"

Eileen put her hand on Severus' small one. "I don't know, Severus. We just have to be patient with him. He's going through a lot. Do you understand?"

Severus shook his head no.

Eileen sighed. "Neither do I." She squeezed his hand. "We just have to keep loving him, son. He'll cheer up soon."

"Okay, Mummy." Severus got up and hugged her around her neck and kissed her cheek.

That night Tobias came into his room for their nightly tuck-in ritual. His mood had lightened a bit, and he smiled at Severus as he came in.

"What shall we read tonight?"

"Babbitty Rabbitty!"

Tobias scowled. "No magical stories, Severus. We've talked about this."

"Oh, yeah. How about Peter Rabbit?"

Tobias rolled his eyes. "You and your rabbit stories," he said with a chuckle. He grabbed the book off the nearby shelf and they spent the next little while reading a chapter. Severus listened to his daddy's voice reading. His deep voice made the story seem real. At the end of the chapter, Tobias closed the book and looked to his son.

"One more chapter?" Severus pleaded.

"Not tonight, Severus. It's getting late, and you need to go to sleep."

Severus frowned.

"C'mon, give me a hug," Tobias said.

Severus reached over, his small arms surrounding Tobias' neck.

"Good night, son."

"Good night, Daddy…. Love you."

"I love you too," Tobias said before pulling back and settling Severus into the bed. "Now, you close your eyes and go to sleep, okay?"

Severus nodded. He was asleep almost before Tobias left the room.

Chapter 4

Tobias led Severus down the street. Severus felt secure with his hand in his daddy's. They walked quickly, and Severus struggled to keep up the fast pace.

"All right?" Tobias said as he slowed down a little.

Severus nodded. "When will we get there?" he asked impatiently.

"We're almost there. It's just up the road."

Severus moved a little faster, his excitement growing. They moved down the street. No one else was out and about. It was mid-morning on a sunny Saturday. Tobias had worked the night before but had gotten some sleep and upon waking, he had told Severus to get dressed, that they were going out to cast stones in the river. This was one of Severus' favorite things to do.

Finally, the river came into sight. It was a muddy brown, and Severus could see some bottles and soggy papers floating in it. He also saw a myriad of stones that were just right for skimming. Tobias let go of Severus' hand, and he ran forward, starting to choose some rocks.

"Pick nice flat ones, now," Tobias instructed.

Severus put two back and chose another two. Finally, he had a small pile next to him. He picked one up and threw it in the river. It made a hollow plunk as it sunk to the bottom.

"Here, let me show you, Severus."

Tobias took a rock and palmed it.

"Remember how I've shown you before. What you want to do is throw it on its side. Instead of throwing it like a ball, reach back on your right and toss it that way." He showed Severus what he was saying.

Severus picked up another rock and turned it over in his hand. He tried to mimic his father, but the rock still plunked into the water. Tobias chuckled.

"Try again, son."

This time, he held Severus' arm as he tried to throw the rock, guiding his arm in the right direction. The rock shot forward and skipped once before plunking into the river. Severus smiled and jumped up and down.

"I did it!" he cried.

"Mmmhmm, and with practice, you'll be able to do it just like me." Tobias threw his rock and it skipped seven times and spanned half the river before disappearing under the water.

"Wow," Severus said.

"Now you try again," Tobias urged.

Severus tried on his own and had the same success as before when his dad guided his arm.

"Good job, boy," Tobias said. "Keep going."

They took turns skimming rocks. Each time Severus got a little better. By the end of their time at the river, he could skim a couple of times with each throw. He smiled as they turned and Tobias took his hand to lead him back to their home. Looking up to his father, he grinned even more as he saw the proud look on his father's face.

"That was fun, Daddy," Severus said.

"It was," his father said quietly.

On the way home, Tobias took Severus to the bar where he worked. He showed him how he stacked the glasses for the different drinks and introduced him to Patty, his boss. They sat at the bar for a little while, chatting with the customers while his father shared an ale with his friends. Severus got a soft drink and sipped it as he listened to the men. They were talking about the mill and how so many of them no longer worked there. Severus noticed the men were getting louder the more they drank. He tuned them out and concentrated on his drink. Finally, it was time to go.

His father took his hand again and waved to his friends. His step was a little more relaxed as they moved down the street to their house. Tobias opened the door and let him pass through.

"Mum, Mum, my rocks skimmed every time!" he cried as he ran to his mother, who was reading on the couch. He jumped into her lap and she gave him a hug.

"Good job, Severus!" his mother said with a smile.

"And I saw where Daddy works and met his boss."

Eileen looked to Tobias. He scowled at her.

"Leave it, woman," he grumbled.

"Severus," Eileen said softly as she looked to her son. "Why don't you go upstairs and work on your reading. I left your reader on your bed."

"Okay," he said and happily ran upstairs.

He found his reader and sat on the bed with it in his lap. He opened it up and started reading about a dog that got lost and had to find his way back home. He sounded out each word and sentence and before long he was almost done with the story. Shouting interrupted him, though, and he looked up and out his door into the hallway. Mummy and Daddy were yelling at each other. Severus put his book down and got off his bed, going out to see what they were yelling about.

He slowly descended the stairs. They were in the kitchen again. He moved across the sitting room and stood on the side of the entryway to the kitchen and listened.

"I don't drink that much!" Tobias said, his voice having an annoyed edge to it.

"You're drunk almost every night."

"I haven't been drunk since Wednesday."

"You're drunk right now!" Eileen cried.

There was silence for a bit.

When his father spoke again, his voice was very low. "I wouldn't need to drink if I had my job at the mill."

"Not this again, Tobias." Eileen huffed. "I can't help you."

Tobias's chair scraped. Severus heard his footsteps, and he pictured his father rounding the table to his mum.

"You _won't_ help me, you spiteful, selfish bitch."

Eileen gasped. Severus moved so he could peek around the corner of the doorway. He saw his father leaning towards his mum, his face close to hers. His father looked furious.

"I've done nothing but work my arse off trying to provide for this family. I've had three jobs in the last six months, and it's not enough. We can't pay our bills. We can't clothe our son. You have a way to fix _all_ of this, but you won't do it! Your damn magic is too good for the likes of your own husband!"

"Tobias," Eileen said softly. "It's not like that. I've told you so many times."

Tobias straightened up. "I've heard it all, woman, and it's all bullshit." He leaned back again. "Did you ever love me?"

"I still love you!"

"Lies! Utter lies. If you loved me, you would fix this!" Tobias stood back up again. Severus could see his hands balled into fists, and he felt fear in his stomach at what would happen next. "This is all your fault. You let me suffer, you cow. All you had to do was wave that stupid wand of yours and everything would be right as rain, but you won't, and I hate you for that."

"Tobias, please!"

"Shut up, you hag!"

Tobias lifted his hand and slapped Eileen. Her head snapped to the side and her hand came up and shielded herself.

Severus shoved his fear aside. He was angry at Daddy now. He ran into the room and came straight up to his father. His small hands were balled into fists like his father's. He angrily looked at his daddy.

"Stop it!" he cried. "Don't hurt Mummy!"

At that point, the tea kettle flew from off the stove and hit his father squarely in the head. Tobias fell to the ground, his hands coming up, covering where the kettle had hit his head. He groaned for a bit before shaking his head and glaring at his son.

"What did you do?" Tobias demanded.

Severus backed up and put his hands up toward his father. "Nothing! I didn't do that."

Tobias turned around and crawled to where Severus was standing. "What did you do?" he yelled. "How did you do that? You used magic!"

"No… no…" Severus stuttered.

"It was me," Eileen said.

Tobias turned to her. "Shut up, bitch. I know you didn't do this. Your wand is up in your dresser drawer." He pointed at Severus. "It was him! He's just like you: a misfit. I should have known he would be just like you. I should have known."

Tobias got to his feet and glared at his son. "Don't you ever do anything like that again."

His hand reached for Severus' shirt and he shook him violently. Tears started to streak down Severus' cheeks. "Daddy!" he cried.

Eileen stood up and took hold of Tobias' arm. "He can't help it, Tobias. It's accidental magic."

Tobias let go of Severus, who fell to the floor because he was off balance.

"There are no accidents with your kind!"

"I've explained to you before that sometimes young wizards and witches have bursts of magic like this," she shouted accusatorily.

"So next time he'll kill me? Get him out of my sight! I'll have nothing to do with your evil spawn!"

Eileen picked Severus up into her arms and shot out of the kitchen with him without looking back at Tobias. She hurried upstairs and settled into Severus' room. Severus was crying so much he started to hiccup and gasp.

"Shh, Severus… It's okay. Calm down, son."

Severus bawled as he grasped his mum's neck and held her tight. He could feel her tears mingling with his. Fear filled him as he cried. Why had daddy been so awful? What had happened with the tea kettle? Could Daddy forgive him for hurting him?

"I hurt Daddy!" he cried. "Now he hates me!"

Eileen pulled him back a little so she could look at him. Her hands quickly wiped away the tears that were on his face, but they were only replaced by new ones. She kept wiping at his face as she spoke to him.

"Severus, sometimes magical children have incidents like this, where their magic causes something to happen. It's normal. You did _nothing_ wrong. Do you understand me?"

"But…"

"Severus…" she arched her eyebrow at him. "You did nothing wrong."

Severus' tears began to subside, and he sniffed as he looked at his mummy.

"Why did Daddy hit you like that?"

"You mustn't be mad at Daddy. He didn't mean it. He was just very angry."

Severus frowned. "He shouldn't have hit you."

"Yes, you're right, but he won't do it again. I promise. Now clean yourself up. I'm going to do the same. I'll start dinner in a little while." Her hand came up and she wiped the remnants of his tears off his cheeks.

Severus nodded and went to the bathroom. He scrubbed his face and looked in the mirror. His eyes were blotchy from crying. He rubbed them quickly and splashed his face with cold water. After toweling it off, he returned to his room, but his mummy wasn't there anymore. He moved to his bed and laid on it with his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling until his mum called him down to dinner.

Getting out of bed, he hesitantly made his way down the hall and down the stairs. He moved into the kitchen, glancing at his father, who glared at him as he moved to his seat at the table. Severus looked down at his bowl and frowned. Lentil soup… he detested lentil soup. His eyes moved to his mummy, but he didn't dare complain, especially after what happened earlier.

Picking up his spoon, he took several bites quickly. No one said anything to anyone while they ate. His father didn't even look at him or Mummy. Severus shoved a little more of the soup into himself and then put his spoon down. He looked to his father.

"May I be excused?"

Tobias ignored him.

"Daddy, may I be excused?"

Tobias said nothing.

"Go ahead, Severus, put your bowl in the sink," Eileen said. "Go outside and play on the stoop."

Severus gave his father a concerned look but took his bowl and did as his mother had said. He left the house, shutting the door behind him, and sat on the stoop. His eyebrows furrowed. Daddy was really mad at him. He hadn't said a word to him. Unbidden, some tears formed in his eyes. He didn't want his father mad at him. He loved his father and loved the fun they had together. He shouldn't have run into the kitchen. If he had just stayed where he was, none of this would have happened. It was all his fault.

Chapter 5

Severus opened his eyes as the light from his window streamed in and woke him up. Today was his birthday. He stared at the ceiling trying to make the ball in the pit of his stomach go away, but it wouldn't. He hoped beyond hope that for his birthday his daddy would start talking to him again. Ever since he'd magically thrown the teapot at his father, Daddy hadn't said a word to him. No good-night hugs. No bedtime stories, nothing. Daddy didn't look at him unless he had to. Severus wished he could make it all better and Daddy would love him again. That's all he wanted for his birthday.

Getting up, he wandered downstairs. He knew his daddy was still sleeping, as he'd worked the night before, but his mummy was in the kitchen. She looked up from the newspaper she was reading when he came into the room.

"Happy Birthday, Severus!" she said with a small smile. "I made your favorite porridge for breakfast," she continued while getting up and fixing a bowl for him.

Severus sat in his chair and smiled when she placed the bowl in front of him.

"Yummy, blueberries!" Severus cried.

They hadn't had blueberries in the house since his dad got fired from the mill. His mum knew they were his favorite and had probably gotten them especially for him. He dug into his porridge greedily.

"I thought we could go to the park after breakfast," Eileen said.

Severus' head whipped up and his eyes grew big. Mummy never took him to the park. Daddy had always done that on his days off. Severus smirked and nodded before scooping another spoonful of porridge into his mouth. He hurried through the bowl but savored every bite. The blueberries snapped as he chewed them, flavoring the porridge just the way he liked it. Finally, he scraped the sides of the bowl.

Eileen laughed. "Now, now, you don't need to eat the bowl."

Severus smiled at her. He took his bowl to the sink and stood on tiptoes to place it in. "I'm ready," he said.

Eileen tapped her fingers on the table. "Haven't you forgotten something?" she asked with an arched brow.

He shrugged.

"Go upstairs right now, wash up, and comb your hair. You look like a banshee," she said with a chuckle.

Severus' mouth formed an 'o'. He'd completely forgotten to get ready before coming downstairs.

"Yes, Mummy," he said as he ran out of the room and up to the bathroom.

Several minutes later, he returned, his hair neatly combed and his face clean. Eileen held out his coat for him, and he put it on and placed his hat on his head. Eileen held out her hand, and he took it and followed her out of the house and down the street to the park he loved to play at.

The morning was spent swinging and sliding down the slide. His mum had laughed with him. It had been the first time in a long time that she had actually laughed. They had been there for hours and finally came back to the house after lunchtime. They entered the house giggling, but soon the laughter fell away. Tobias sat on the couch frowning at them.

"Out casting spells?" he asked bitterly.

"Tobias, we were at the park," Eileen explained.

"Should be in the kitchen," Tobias muttered.

Eileen chose to ignore his mumblings. "We were celebrating."

"What's to celebrate?" Tobias said with a sneer. "Nothing to celebrate in this house."

Eileen stiffened and put her hand on Severus' shoulder. "We were celebrating your son's birthday."

Tobias glanced at Severus for a minute before grimacing and snapping his head away. "Nothing to celebrate about that," he grumbled.

Severus felt a jolt go through him at his father's words. He fought hard to keep tears from forming in his eyes. He didn't want daddy to see him bawling. He felt his mother's hand tense on his shoulder, then relax and rub it soothingly.

"Just another mouth to feed," Tobias continued. "Better off never having been born, then we wouldn't be struggling so."

"Tobias Nathaniel Snape, how could you say something so cruel?"

Tobias looked into Eileen's eyes. "It's the truth, ain't it?"

"Of course not!"

"There was a time when I was proud of him. But he's wound up just like you. Useless… ugly…"

Eileen gasped.

Tobias ignored her and continued. "Whiny, self-serving, worthless!"

Severus couldn't help the tears now. They streamed down his face.

"Oh, you're going to cry now, crybaby? A few little words are going to send you into a fit? Get over it, boy. Life isn't fair, and people are going to say horrible things about you. The sooner you can ignore it, the better."

"Daddy," Severus whispered between gasps.

"No, you're not my son. You're nothing but a misfit like your rotten mother."

Tobias stood and went up to Eileen. She backed up a few paces, but he just got closer. "Look at her, cowering before me. All that magic, but she's nothing but a coward. Too scared to help out her family. Worthless." He turned away from Eileen and Severus.

"Tobias, why must you be so vile?"

He swung back around and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. "You're nothing but…

"Stop it!" Severus cried finally. "Leave Mummy alone!"

Tobias stilled. He snarled and turned to Severus, stooping low, he looked into Severus' eyes. Severus was filled with fear as his father stared him down. The boy's lower lip started trembling.

"What are you going to do, hit me in the head with the tea kettle again? Use your magic against me, like a little sneak? You're nothing but a waste of breath, do you know that?"

"Daddy, I thought…"

"What did you think? You thought I could care about you? How could I care for someone who embodies everything I hate about my wife?"

Tears were streaming down Severus' cheeks. "I'm sowwy, Daddy. I didn't mean to throw the kettle at your head. I'm sowwy."

Tobias ignored his apology, sneering at his son. "I thought you would grow up to be something, but you're just going to grow up to be one of them! Get out of my sight, you stupid freak!"

Severus turned and ran from his father. He ran all the way up to his room, slamming the door behind him. He stood next to the door, gasping for breath. He could hear his mother and father screaming at each other downstairs. He slowly sunk to the floor with his knees bent. He sobbed, covering his face with his hands, crying great tears. Daddy had scared him so much. He'd looked so angry, and when he grabbed at him, he thought Daddy was going to fling him across the room. He'd never seen him so angry. He began to shake as more tears fell down his face.

Daddy hated him. He couldn't forgive him, and he'd never talk to him nicely again; Severus knew it. He had been bad and had hurt Daddy, and Daddy would never forget it. There would be no more trips to the river, no more playing at the playground, no more bedtime stories... no more anything. Severus sobbed into his hands as he listened to his parents shouting horrible things to one another. As he cried, the same three words kept repeating themselves in his head over and over again. _Daddy hates me_.


End file.
